


Rose Hunt

by blackash26



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Ash Attempts Romance, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 06:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackash26/pseuds/blackash26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“This is way better than any romance novel.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rose Hunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heartslogos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartslogos/gifts).



> This was my rose for Hearts’ Debut a few months back. This is possibly the first Romance story I've ever written. But it seemed an appropriate thing to archive on Valentines Day. Happy Valentines Day, everyone!

Tim woke up only three hours after he went to sleep. It was more than he had allowed himself in a while, and he was already regretting it. He had too much to do to waste his time sleeping.

He got up and shuffled out of bed and into the kitchen. With his eyes half closed, he began fumbling with his coffee maker. She was a beautiful machine. Loyal to a fault.

Soon enough he had a cup of life-giving caffeine held lovingly in his hands. The first sip burned its way down his throat, but he didn’t care.

He drained his mug dry, but didn’t hurry to move on, even though the list of things he had to do was burning in the back of his mind. Instead he stayed right where he was, leaning against the counter with his eyes closed.

After a few minutes of indulgence, he opened his eyes and was consequently happy he’d already finished his drink. Otherwise that precious liquid might have ended up all over the floor.

On the island of his kitchen sat a tall crystal vase. In the vase stood a single, beautiful, red rose.

Tim blinked stupidly at the foreign object in his space. A small part of him worried this might be some sort of trick or trap, but he was having trouble figuring out what harm a rose could do.

He blamed the lack of caffeine in his system for how long it took him to notice the small note tucked slightly under the base.

_Go back and check the bedroom, sleepyhead._

The handwriting was familiar, even if it was clear that the writer was actually trying to write legibly for once.

He picked up the note and wandered back into his bedroom.

There on his bedside table was yet another red rose lying atop another white piece of card stock.

_Don’t forget to eat breakfast, Baby Bird_

Tim rolled his eyes and smiled faintly to himself. He didn’t know what Jason was up to, but it was obviously harmless and, well, cute.

Remembering the time, Tim rushed to finish getting ready for the day. But before he left for work, he gently set the second rose into the vase with the first. He also grabbed a granola bar on the way out. He was running too late to stop for a meal of all things.

***

On the way to work he stopped at his favorite café to pick up his second cup of coffee.

The barista at the counter smiled strangely at him as he ordered his drink.

“What?” Tim asked her.

But she just shook her head and took his card. “It’ll just be a moment, sir.”

When his drink came, it was accompanied by a third red rose, a muffin, an apple and another note.

_Coffee isn’t food. And a granola bar isn’t breakfast._

Tim snorted. But he dutifully tucked the apple into his bag and munched idly on his muffin as he hurried out of the shop.

***

Tam smirked at him as he entered the outer office. “Is that for me, Mr. Wayne? How sweet.”

Tim blushed. “Ah, no. My -  ”

“Relax, Tim. I know.” She grinned at him. “Your boyfriend’s got a heart of gold under all of that gruff. You should hold onto that one.”

Tim glanced down at the rose in his hand and smiled fondly. “I know.”

He began to head into his personal office, but paused when Tam started following him. “What are you doing?”

“This is way better than any romance novel.” She grinned at him.

“I’d hope it was better than the generic bodice ripper TM,” Tim said wryly. “Especially since I’m kind of lacking in the bodice department.”

“Hey, now. You’re making all kinds of assumptions about the romance novels I’ve read.”

“Aaaand that’s where this conversation ends.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m really okay with that,” Tim said as he opened the door to his office.

But his conversation with Tam vanished completely at the sight of the fourth red rose waiting for him on his desk. With it was a note.

_Ease up, Baby Bird. You’re gonna give yourself an ulcer._

Tim snorted and shook his head.

“Sickeningly sweet,” Tam teased.

Tim turned to look at her in confusion, only to realize that he had subconsciously brought the note right up to his mouth in a parody of a kiss while he’d been busy thinking about Jason.

“Why don’t you do something productive, like find a vase for these?” Tim asked archly.

Tam raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “ _That’s_  productive? They’re your roses, Mr. Wayne. Not my problem, no matter how adorable you two are.”

Tim sighed and went to find something that would make a decent improvised vase.

***

The business with the roses took so long Tim decided it would be best to just skip lunch and make up for lost time.

That plan went over like a lead balloon. At noon a delivery boy pushing a cart filled with Tim’s favorite foods walked into Tim’s office like he owned the place. The cart came adorned with a single red rose and a note.

_No skipping meals or I’ll sic your Foxy assistant on you._

Tim ate as much as he could. (Jason had unreasonable expectations about the size of Tim’s stomach.) He shared the leftovers with the rest of the floor.

***

Tim left work late. He kept expecting to be accosted on the street by people with roses. However he returned home with only the three roses he’d accrued over the course of the day.

The sixth rose actually took him by surprise. It was in his mail box. A little rumpled, but none the worse for wear for its adventure in the cramped space.

_Welcome home, Baby Bird._

***

The next rose was waiting for him beside his suit.

_Kick ass out there tonight._

Tim had to walk all the way back to the kitchen in order to add the rose to the vase with all of the others before he could actually put on his suit and head into the field. But he didn’t really care. For some reason, he couldn’t stop smiling.

***

Rose number eight was tucked between the jagged teeth of the gargoyle perched at Red Robin’s favorite observation spot.

_Timmy, those tights really show off your ass-ets, but your cape gets in the way of my oggling…_

Tim snorted at the ridiculous pun, and tried to figure out how he was going to carry a rose around with him on patrol. The fact that he was still blushing when he left his spot to continue patrolling had nothing to do with Jason and his stupidly flattering remarks.

***

Red Robin had a suspiciously quiet night. He found out why a little after one in the morning.

_Someone_  had left a little gift for Tim at the very center of his patrol territory.

There were three would-be muggers, a pimp, and a baker’s dozen composed of a band of crooks Red Robin had been planning on foiling that very night. All seventeen criminals were trussed up with zip strips and decorated with bows and ribbons. There was even a data drive with what he assumed was the info he’d been waiting for, taped to the forehead of the lead crook.

Normally Red Robin would be annoyed at someone encroaching on his territory. But since the intruder left a calling card, Tim was inclined to let it slide.

He called the police and let them know the location of the crooks. Then he took the data drive, the rose and the note and headed back to his apartment.

_All wrapped up here. Come on home, Baby Bird._

***

He climbed into his bedroom, fingering the red rose that had been waiting for him on his fire escape as he went.

_I’m running out of ideas. Hurry up and get in here._

He wondered what the tenth note meant.

***

His suit was still half on when he wandered into the main room of his apartment.

There on his couch was his boyfriend holding a bouquet of one, two…eight red roses and a single white, red tipped rose.

“I ran out of places to put them.” Jason got to his feet and held out the bouquet. “So I figured I’d just cut to the chase. Happy birthday, Baby Bird.”

Tim frowned even as he gingerly took the bouquet in his arms. “It’s my birthday?”

“Uh, yeah. Duh?”

“Oh. Must have slipped my mind.”

“You forgot your own birthday?” Jason stared at him. “Wait, wait. What the hell did you think all this was, then?”

Tim shrugged. “I just thought you were being sweet because you missed me while you were on that mission with Roy and Kory.”

“Well, that’s true too. But this is definitely a birthday thing. Eighteen is a big number.” Jason faltered a little. “I. Well, I hoped it would be special.”

Tim blushed and ducked his head self-consciously. “It was. Today was wonderful. Um, I, well, thank you.”

Jason leaned forward and gave Tim a light kiss on the lips. “Glad you like it.”

Tim felt light headed and giddy at being so close to his boyfriend after so long. He was so distracted that he almost dropped the bouquet. Cradling the flowers close to his chest, Tim was reminded of the extra rose in the collection. “Oh! Hold on, what’s the nineteenth rose for?” Tim cocked his head to the side curiously. “The odd red and white one.”

Jason coughed and looked away. “Oh, that.”

“Yeah. Is there something wrong?”

“No, no. It’s just stupid.”

“I doubt it.”

“On the mission Kory was talking about the language of flowers or some bull like that. But some of it stood out to me…Damn it, don’t laugh, okay - ?” Jason brushed his hands nervously against his pant legs. “I wanted to give you eighteen roses. One for every year you’ve been, you know, alive. They’d be red ones since those are about love…” Jason faltered and ran an agitated hand through his hair. “And love, well, that’s how I feel. For you. So it seemed right.”

Jason hunched his shoulders and took a deep breath before continuing. “The, the last one, the extra one is for good luck. Kory said they’re all about unity and togetherness and whatever, but for us it’s really a promise.” Jason looked Tim straight in the eyes. “Fuck. I’m trying to tell you that I’m not going anywhere, Baby Bird. You’re stuck with me. Forever.”

Tim’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Forever? Jason really wanted  _forever_  with Tim? His hands tightened reflexively around the covered stems of the bouquet as he tried to make his brain process the meaning of Jason’s words.

Try as he might, Tim just couldn’t believe that Jason really meant what he said. And yet. Jason  _wasn’t_  lying. Tim knew all of his boyfriend’s tells and so Jason had to be telling the truth. Jason really, really wanted him. Wanted to stay with him. And Tim –

Tim didn’t know what he was supposed to do or say in response to such a revelation.

He stood frozen in front of Jason for far too long before he regained control of his senses enough to do something, even if speech was still beyond him.

He closed his mouth and turned away from Jason. He walked stiffly over to the island in the kitchen and busied himself with putting away the nine roses plus the three from patrol in the vase. As his hands mechanically moved the flowers around he tried desperately to think of how to put the strange feeling inside himself into words.

“Tim?” Jason’s voice. “Are you okay? I’m sorry – ”

Tim whirled around, cursing himself as he did for forgetting that Jason was still there. “Don’t. Please. Please don’t be sorry,” he babbled. “I’m sorry. I just. I didn’t, I don’t know what to say. So I didn’t.”

“So you’re okay?” Jason asked hesitantly.

“ _Yes_. Oh, yes,” Tim assured Jason. “I’m just…I love you. So much.”

“Do you?” Jason asked, walking toward Tim.

“I do. I really, really do.” Tim met Jason halfway, with his arms spread wide. The moment Tim was close enough Jason pulled him into a hug.

Jason buried his face in the crook of Tim’s neck and said, “That’s kinda perfect.”

“Is it?” Tim asked breathlessly.

“Yeah.” Jason lifted his head and pulled back far enough so that he could look Tim in the eyes. “Because I love you too.”


End file.
